Flora and fauna
The vegetation is mostly Launaea cervicornis, a species that forms small thorns.
Among the interesting plants is the endemic shrub Daphne rodriguezii discovered
and described by the naturalist Joan Joaquin Rodriguez Femenias.
The tamarisk Tamarix africana is another very characteristic plant of the
island. This species of African bush gets its name from the beach Tamarindos where
it is found.
Each can reach a height of 6 meters and a
diameter of 1'3 m, and generally grow to more than a100 years old. The initial
distribution of these shrubs is random across the shifting sands but previously
they grew in rows along the beach.
As for the fauna, the island of Colom has
numerous seabirds include the giant sea raven and the pichoneta shearwater
Puffinus Puffinus and Cinderella shearwater Calonectris diomedea, the red kite
Milvus Milvus, osprey Pandion haliaetus and two species of hawks.
Terrestrial wildlife is a variety of lizard
endemic to the Gimnesias, the Podarcis lilfordi brauni blue.
Beaches
The Island has two beaches the Tamarells and Arenal d'en Moro located on the
west coast of Menorca which protects from the Tramuntana wind and provides
shelter for boats. The beaches are relatively thin because the sand beaches on
the North Coast and the waters are crystal blue.
Mining History
The mining history of theisland
ofColom began on January
9, 1901 with applications for registration of the New Century iron mines, and
six months later, the copper mine Renovada, Verd by Pablo Ruiz, managing
director of the Company.
The 150 registered claims belonging to the first
claimants corresponded to approximately 1,500,000 square meters, or the whole
of the island of Colom.
In March 1902, after the first work to be recorded
again for the New Century Zn “Zinc” mine, with only 20 possessions, the
demarcation of existing mine Renovada.
Mina Blendífera.
Not far from the Paleochristian site is a
funerary monument with an inscription dedicated to the deaths of people who
died of plague on the island on 29 May 1787.
Furthermore, the island also has two historic
homes some 150-200 years old, one which was an old farm house and the other is
a wooden house of more recent construction.
Both are located in the pine forest to the beach
in Los Tamarells and remnats of the farming lifestyle are still there a Boyer, livestock
troughs and a fresh water well.
Colom Island in Catalan means the
island of the dove and is an island of 59 hectares and 200 meters separate the North
Eastern coast of the island from Minorca in theBalearic
Islands. Formerly a leper colony where one part was used for
cultivation and another various mining operations were attempted.
It is owned by the Roca family nee Mahon since
1904 when Don Antonio Roca Vareze acquired it at auction and is now the summer
residence of his descendants and part of the Natural Park s'Albufera des Grau.
Finally, once
satisfied and the corresponding rights, the Civil Governor D. Pedro Llosa Badia
issuing ownership in mining to Mercedes Puig Aluja the April 2, 1928.
Buildings and monuments
On the island we can find two monuments of special historic interest. The first
is a Paleo basilica discovered by Maria Lluisa Belabre Serra in August 1967,
even though it had already been identified as part of the Paleochristian era in
1958. Ruins around the church were categorised as Paleochristian luciernas of
North African origin probably dating from the fourth century AD and were true
to type for buildings constructed during the fourth to seventh centuries.
In late 1904, the
mine was renamed Constancia, until the end of 1915 and recorded by Don Antonio
Roca VAREZE as the mine La Paloma. On August 9, 1926 it was registered as
Blendífera by Aluja Mercedes Puig, near Barcelona and the last owner of the
mining concession.
Aluja Puig Mercedes introduced the registration of the mine Blendífera on
August 9, 1926, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of
Baleares No. 9309, dated August 14 of that year. After the expiry of 60 days
for public exhibition without the occurrence of complaints, the Chief Engineer
asked the Civil Governor to order the demarcation of Blendífera.
It will be the Official Gazette No. 9338 dated October 21, 1926 which specifies
the date on which a staff member of the District Mining Baleares proceeds to
demarcate the mine Blendífera No. 1514 of the general register. The date is set
on the boundary 28 to October 31 of that year. The mine was officially
demarcated by the Engineer Corps National Mining D. Juan Rubio 28 and October
29, 1926.
